Alexis Avlamis
(Greek, b. 1979)
Through improvisation, intuition and tapping into a stream of consciousness, Alexis constructs “landscapes of the mind” exploring new painterly possibilities through the use of wax and the ancient technique of encaustic.
Encaustic (hot-wax painting) is an extraordinary medium dating back to at least the fifth century BCE. It conceals a dynamic balance of opposites: permanent/temporary, solid/liquid, opaque/translucent, dull/shiny. The highly fluid state of encaustic is used to document an elaborate constant movement and changes reminiscent of weather, rock and cloud patterns, rivers, cast shadows, biomorphic figures and nebulae.
As a process-oriented painter, Alexis is challenged by the demanding and labour intensive character of encaustic painting. Yet it offers a transformative connection between the past and the present, a historic tradition which he feels compelled to engage with. His use of the material is skillful and the effect is multilayered and mesmerising.
Alexis Avlamis holds a degree from the Athens School of Fine Arts and has been shortlisted for several international art prizes.
Smokey Thoughts, 2015
encaustic on plywood
50 cm. diam. (framed)
[Ref. AA2]
Constantly Flowing, 2015
encaustic on plywood
35 x 35 cm. (framed)
[Ref. AA1]
"My drive is to create symbiotic relationships between the various elements that appear on the canvas and impart a state of a Jungian wholeness: A state in which consciousness and the unconscious mind, work together in harmony. When all of the elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole." - A. Avlamis